Brighouse railway station to get a significant upgrade

The station will play a vital role in the coming years on occasions when trains are diverted along the Calder Valley line due to major works in the Huddersfield area as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU).

TRU bosses have been working with train operators to decide how best to keep passengers on the move during upcoming engineering works, especially two 30-day closures of Huddersfield station.

The first closure, known in railway circles as a ‘blockade’, is due to take place from the end of August to September 2025, and the second over the Christmas and New Year period in 2026/27.

Brighouse Station is due to be improved (Image: T&A) Previously, there had been plans to build a temporary platform around a mile away from Huddersfield station – as part of a project to create five new sidings at Hillhouse, on the Leeds side of Huddersfield railway viaduct.

Passengers would then have been bussed from the temporary platform at Hillhouse to Huddersfield town centre.

However, an alternative solution has been drawn up that could have longer-lasting benefits.

Instead of investing in a platform at Hillhouse, which would only be used for a relatively brief period of time, project bosses are favouring a more sustainable option of upgrading Brighouse station. Passengers travelling between York and Manchester on trains diverted via the Calder Valley could get on and off at the improved Brighouse station and travel via a rail replacement shuttle bus to Huddersfield.

Paul Sumner, senior sponsor on the TRU, told the Telegraph & Argus: “We have been working with train operators and due to the success of diverting trains via the Calder Valley, we think it’s better to enhance Brighouse, with a shuttle to Huddersfield. From a sustainability point of view, it’s better to improve those facilities (Brighouse).

“It will still be a shuttle bus – it was going to be between Huddersfield and Hillhouse and now it’s going to be Huddersfield to Brighouse. There has been a lot of positive feedback around the rail diversions that have run through the Calder Valley.”

Mr Sumner said the work at Brighouse “needs to be done before the first blockade” in August/September 2025 and was likely to include platform widening, improvements to waiting facilities , and work to enhance car parking near the station.

The original Brighouse station of 1840 was known as 'Brighouse for Bradford' and the second station was known as 'Brighouse for Rastrick', according to a blue plaque on the platform. After closing in 1970, the new station reopened in 2000 as 'Brighouse'.

Speaking about the positive progress on the TRU, Mr Sumner said: "It’s going really well, considering the amount of work you see in activity line-side when you go out and about on the rail network and the massive complexity and challenges around major works around working with local authorities, utilities to be diverted and working with utility organisations.

“To say that we’ve done so much so far is certainly positive. One of the biggest things is, we’ve had a change of government and we’ve got that positive support for this major investment in the North of England.  All our business cases have been supported to date.”

In an upcoming phase of work at Huddersfield station, hoardings will be put up along platform 4 as workers start to install new platforms on the far side of the station, thereby keeping the work separated from the operational part of the station.

As reported in the Telegraph & Argus over the weekend, work to restore the station's historic Euston-style roof is progressing well having started about a year ago.

Work on the station is set to be completed in early 2027, with the end result seeing longer platforms, a new layout, a new footbridge, and refurbished roof structure with restored lantern. Works to electrify the line will continue beyond this date.

Although plans for a temporary platform at Hillhouse have been scrapped, work to create new sidings at that location is progressing well. There will be four sidings for stabling passenger trains and one siding for maintenance/engineering trains.

Mr Sumner said the first Huddersfield blockade would see the new Hillhouse sidings connected up to the mainline.